Catalan Wines

The wines of DO Empordà in 2019

by  |  18-11-2019

I find it harder and harder to write about DO Empordà because the more I taste the wines, the clearer and more brilliant the definition of the region becomes. Yet despite this, it remains so... more »
Photo from DO Conca de Barberà

The wines of DO Conca de Barberà in 2019

by  |  29-10-2019

Given the recent cellar flooding, I’ve moved up this report to hopefully give a bit more visibility to the DO and not only support the rebuilding efforts of Rendé Masdéu, but also to showcase the... more »
Photos by @CivitiMarti, Twitter

DO Conca de Barberà winery, Rendé Masdéu washed away by torrential rains & flooding

by  |  23-10-2019

Southern Catalunya recorded epic rains yesterday which caused widespread damage including: flooding of homes, various roads being closed due to mudslides, and train service being cut due to flooded tracks. There have been two confirmed... more »

The wines of DOQ Priorat & DO Montsant in 2019

by  |  23-09-2019

I’ve been tasting the wines of DOQ Priorat and DO Montsant for nearly a decade now and am quite happy to present tasting reports of each region’s current releases for 2019. Having written individual books... more »

In The Glass: Lectores Vini – Pomagrana 2018

by  |  09-09-2019

Trepat comes up with regularity on this site for good reason as it sits at that most delicate of intersections wherein it is approachable yet flavorful and not terribly alcoholic. This is no mean feat... more »

A strike at the heart of DO Cava

by  |  06-09-2019

Yesterday, September 5th, three groups of viticulturists in the Penedès region (Unió de Pagesos, JARC, and Viticultors del Penedès), held a planned harvest strike against the ongoing grape pricing scandal in DO Cava. More than... more »

A look back at the 2012 vintage in Catalunya & Roussillon

by  |  01-09-2019

The other day someone wrote to inquire about the 2012 Clos Mogador and what my impressions were of it. While I enjoyed drinking it when initially released, I realized that instead of just talking about... more »

Big Cava flexes its muscles, to pay 30% less for grapes

by  |  19-08-2019

After the departure of the Corpinnat wineries at the start of this year, one would have thought DO Cava didn’t need any more bad press, but yet, it was announced last week that the large... more »

Carinyena Blanca: Tasting a grape that’s finding its place in Empordà

by  |  13-08-2019

Catalunya’s Denomination of Origin Empordà has just announced an institutional plan to “realize the potential” of the grape, Carinyena Blanca (White Carignan.) Going forward this will involve making it a permitted grape as per their... more »

When the village goes dry

by  |  07-08-2019

On July 25th the village of Gratallops ran out of water. A village of 226 people, 23 wineries, three hotels, multiple holiday rentals, and seven restaurants/cafés had neither water to drink, nor to shower with,... more »